The Eagles will avoid the play-in rounds and host a postseason game for the first time since 2019. Their season record for the season is 16-2 overall and 10-2 in the Grand Canyon area.

The loss dropped Coconino’s record to 6-6 in regional play, but the 11-7 mark overall was still enough to push the Panthers to the play-in rounds.

Eagles manager Kenny Macias said he was proud of how his team overcame adversity this season, referring to the lengthy snow removal work his team had to deal with early in the season. Through it all, Macias said his team has stayed focused and kept feeding each other.

Macias also took time to thank fans for their continued support throughout the season, including helping clear snow from the ball club field.

As far as the impending postseason is concerned, Macias likes his team’s chances.

“I think if we stay healthy and our pitchers come out and perform well, we can be pretty successful as a team when it comes to hitting,” Macias said. “Now everyone is clicking at the right time.”

Flagstaff put together several long innings at the plate, scoring in all but four in an aggressive barrage that Coconino failed to match.

The hosts’ offense started early after a leadoff single by Heath Lopez, a senior in the bottom of the first. After Lopez, senior Luke Wilson immediately drove the pitch deep into right field. The runners scored easily and Wilson stood up with a triple that put him in third.

Wilson said he waited for the pitch he wanted at bat and didn’t miss it when he got it.

“I was definitely sitting on the fastball,” Wilson said. “I knew I wasn’t going to get much out of that pitcher. He was going to throw me a lot of change, but he threw me a fastball and I was like, ‘I didn’t miss that.’ . So put it right into the gap. It’s a great way to get started. There’s no better way to get started. “

Jr. Jake Carpenter doubled Wilson and senior Nick Lopez (who was hit by a ball and went on base) to left field. Next, Carpenter was brought home thanks to a double from junior Cyrus Richman’s at-bat. A close fight at the plate forced Carpenter to play acrobatic to avoid the tags. Richman scored on his sophomore Logan on his Weidinger sacrifice fly to close out the first inning with a 5–0 lead.

Carpenter said he knew Coconino’s pitcher wasn’t throwing hard, so he adjusted his usual approach.

“We knew they were coming to us with something different all year round,” Carpenter said. So I approached the box and took a more aggressive approach, slapping the ball and hitting it where it was thrown.”

The second inning saw more of the same from the Flagstaff attack. A single from senior Samuel Faust and a follow-up single from Heath Lopez scored Faust and put a runner in Wilson’s corner who provided a single to left field that moved Heath Lopez to third. . A sacrifice fly from Nick Lopez scored Heath, and a throwing error on a ground ball from Flagstaff Jr. Luke Hughes allowed Wilson to score and Hughes to reach first.

Carpenter singled to reach base, moving Hughes to third and bringing Richman back to the plate. At bat, Carpenter broke second base in an attempt to draw a throw from pitcher Coconino. The tactic worked, and Coconino’s unsuccessful attempt to catch Carpenter’s stolen base allowed Hughes to read the throw to second base and score from third base. At the end of the second inning, Flagstaff led 9–0.

Coconino’s offense responded in the top of the third, scoring four runs on five singles to Eagles senior starting pitcher Caleb Clifton.

The first was a leadoff single from senior Conor Callahan, who moved to second on a wild pitch. Callaghan moved to third on a single from Jr. Riker Patten and scored the team’s first run on a single from the next batter, senior Jacob Claus. Quinn Mickelson’s next single loaded the bases, which were quickly unloaded by Junior Hayden Mickelson’s 2 RBI single. After the strikeout, Clifton hit back-to-back bases to bring home another run. Clifton had the next batter in line to stop the bleeding, but not before allowing Coconino to cut the deficit to 9-4.

Luckily for Clifton, run support wasn’t a problem for his offense, pitching another big inning in the bottom of the third after Coconino’s second pitching change. Freshman Will Carpenter led off the inning by reaching base on an error and quickly moved to second on an infield hit from Faust. Both runners scored on the ensuing double from Heath Lopeth. Following a walk that Wilson tied, Nick Lopez drove in Heath Lopez with a sacrifice fly to left field.

Following Hughes, he reached base after being hit by a pitch and was quickly brought home on a single by Jake Carpenter. Wilson scored on Coconino’s mistake. A throwdown he missed second when Weidinger drew the bases and stole the second allowed Carpenter to score from his third. This ended with Flagstaff holding a 15-4 lead and a Mercy run effectively taking place.

Clifton said how the Flagstaff offense made his job on the mound easier.

“I feel great,” Clifton said. “Being there makes me feel more confident. It just sets the overall environment [more] hyped.

Clifton went on to say that Coconino’s contact from hitters was mostly weak and he wasn’t worried when he allowed four runs in the top of the third.

“I knew my team would get out there and make it,” he said.

Flagstaff sophomore Conor Inigez closed out in the top of the top of the fifth inning with four innings to seal the win.

Coconino, ranked 20th, will visit the 13th-ranked Seton Catholic Prep Prep in Chandler on Wednesday for a play-in ball game.

The Eagles will know their seed and first-round opponent later in the week. Games against teams to be determined will be played at Flagstaff High School on Saturday.